Why 'High Potential' Isn't Returning This Fall

Fans of the crime drama High Potential will have to wait longer than expected for a new season.

ABC confirmed that the series, which has been one of its biggest scripted successes since its 2024 premiere, will not return this fall. Instead, the network has held its Season 3 debut for midseason in early 2027.

The surprising scheduling changes have disappointed viewers, who expressed frustration over the extended hiatus on social media.

The show follows Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, a single mother with an extraordinary intellect who works with the Los Angeles Police Department to solve complex crimes.

ABC unveiled its fall 2026 schedule on May 12, with High Potential notably absent from the lineup despite being one of the network’s strongest-performing TV shows. The show concluded its Season 2 earlier this year, and fans were expecting its return in its usual fall slot.

The network’s executives have described the move as part of a broader scheduling strategy rather than a reflection of the show’s popularity.

A Variety report quoted ABC’s senior vice president of content strategy and scheduling, Ari Goldman, as saying that airing the show midseason will allow an uninterrupted run of episodes and avoid frequent breaks due to holidays, sports and special events. He said the same strategy was deployed during dramas titled Will Trent and The Rookie.

"We're thinking about the behavior of our linear audience, but also the streaming viewers, who really have shown the importance of week-over-week steadiness in planning and rolling out these shows,” Goldman told Variety. “We do not take lightly the move of 'High Potential' to midseason, but I think this is a real opportunity to bridge through to the end of the year, to keep an uninterrupted run of episodes."

He also noted that the move benefits both traditional broadcast viewers as well as streaming audiences, who favor weekly consistency. He added that the network plans to heavily promote the show’s Season 3 ahead of its 2027 premiere.

The cast has also addressed the extended hiatus. Speaking to TV Insider during Disney’s Upfront presentation, Javicia Leslie and Deniz Akdeniz, who play LAPD detectives Daphne and Oz, said the midseason schedule ultimately benefits viewers by reducing lengthy breaks between episodes.

“I think because I get threatened a lot about our show having to take off for holidays and other things like that, the best part of midseason is you get a more consistent schedule,” Leslie said.

She joked, “You don’t have to take off time to hang with your family or have family time. Forget that family, you can get High Potential every…,” to which Akdeniz added, “Every week.”

The announcement has disappointed fans who were hoping to watch a new season after a successful Season 2. The delay, however, means views will have to wait until 2027 to learn what happens next.